A film based on events held in different nations prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 16, 1962 when the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other with nuclear destruction. A Columbus Day Parade in the United States prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis shows girls dancing along a street and a band playing. A crowd lining up a street. Flags of the U.S. held by marching men. A crowd cheers at a baseball game between the Yankees and the San Francisco Giants. A little girl in calipers becomes the poster girl for March of Dimes (polio charity). The First Lady of the United States Jackie Kennedy with children of foreign diplomats. Fireworks in Uganda celebrating independence. A torchlight vigil held in Vatican.

Events held in the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962 when the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other with nuclear destruction. U.S. President John F. Kennedy with Premier of Algeria Ahmed Ben Bella in the White House lawn in Washington DC. Aerial views of Havana, Cuba. Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro accompanies Premier Bella in Havana. A U.S. rocket is launched. A man follows the ascent through telescope. Defense department training given in fall out protection to engineers. Surveyors check every building for civil defense. A community fall out shelter being located by the surveyors. Food and water drums, medical supplies and radiological monitoring equipment are taken off assembly lines and are transported by rail to various parts of the U.S. A sign reads 'Naval Supply Center Oakland'. Forklift trucks move goods. A sign erected for a community fallout shelter. An election campaign in the United States shows Harry S. Truman making a speech at an American Legion meeting.

Events held in the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962 when the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other with nuclear destruction. USAF (United States Air Force) F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters in flight. A sign reads 'NAS KEY WEST'. A USAF F-104 Starfighter supersonic interceptor aircraft makes a landing. USAF F-105 Thunderchief supersonic fighter-bombers are armed by airmen at an airfield. Aerial view of a base in Florida showing USAF airplanes in place. Aerial view of air evacuation equipment at a field. Surface to air missiles are readied at a beach. A radar in operation. Barbed wire obstacles are set up along a beach by U.S. troops. A USAF RB-66 Destroyer reconnaissance aircraft takes off from an airstrip. U.S. Marines reach U.S. Navy Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Americans are evacuated from Guantanamo as a precautionary measure. View of a baseball game.

Scenes from 1962 World Series baseball action in the United States. San Francisco Giants meet the New York Yankees. Chuck Hiller, a Giants player makes the first National league grand slam ever in World Series play. New York Yankee Tom Tresh gets a 3 run home run in game 5. As play shifts to San Francisco, it rains for a long time delaying continuation of the series. Giants Willie McCovey hits one to Yankee Bobby Richardson for the final out and the New York Yankees win the World Series. Footage from a newsreel released December 24, 1962.

Cars from nine countries displayed at the Sixth Annual Automobile Show in New York. Four hundred and fifty models of cars from United States and eight foreign countries are displayed at the auto show. A model dressed as a British Bobby police officer 'guards' the BMC booth which is showing a BMC-MG convertible. Front view of a Jaguar MK-X saloon. Two men look at a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. Cut-away view of a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. A woman sits at the wheel of a Datsun Fair Lady Roadster, model SPL310 convertible. (L designation is for left hand drive) A model sits on the hood of a 1962 Cadillac.

Adlai Stevenson addresses the United Nations Security Council regarding the build up of missiles in Cuba. United State Navy ships form a blockade to stop further missile delivery to Cuba. In Cuba, soldiers operate anti-aircraft guns that have been set up on the waterfront Cuban soldiers hold their posts on streets, tops of buildings, and on posts all along sea shore. Fidel Castro addresses a public demonstration. Cubans seen marching. Signs in the crowd include, 'Apoyamos Lucha Contra El Imperialismo' and 'Adelante Fidel Venceremos' High powered reconnaissance cameras are fitted to a plane. A plane flies to take reconnaissance photos of Soviet bases in Cuba. Views of aerial photographs showing aircraft landing strips and missiles in Cuba. United States Marines arrive at Guantanamo bay. C-124 Globemasters in background. View of the Organization of the American States Building. U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk addresses the gathering. Exterior view of the United Nations building. Soviet representative Valerian Zorin address the Security Council.